150 years of Granite State history represented by new properties named to the NH State Register of Historic Places

The New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources is pleased to announce that the State Historical Resources Council has added eight properties, ranging from a pre-Revolutionary War farm to an early 20th century elementary school, to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places.

One of eight public schools built in Berlin in the early decades of the 20th century, Brown School was dedicated on Nov. 24, 1914. The original two-story flat-roofed brick school building has a single-story Modern style brick addition dating to 1959 that gives the overall building an L-shaped footprint. It was the last public neighborhood elementary school in town when it closed in 2019; plans call for it to be renovated into mixed-income apartments.

Built in 1836, Academy Hall in Henniker alternated as the town’s high school, event venue and grange hall for more than a century. New England College leased the building from 1946-1995; today it is home to the Henniker Historical Society. The two-story Greek Revival-style building with a cupola is similar to other New Hampshire academies built or renovated in the 1830s and mirrors the neighboring Congregational Church that had been built in 1834.

Built on the site of a 1766 meetinghouse that was destroyed by fire and then rebuilt in 1789, the clapboarded Greek Revival-style First Congregational Church in Hopkinton remains largely unchanged since it was significantly reconfigured in 1839; shutters were added prior to the Civil War and new spires were replaced after weather events in 1938 and 1971. A nearby circa 1780-90 building was purchased in 1959 to serve as a parish house and Sunday school quarters.

Milford’s First Congregational Church and Parish House have played important social and spiritual roles in the community for nearly 200 years. The 1834 church, which includes both late-Federal and early-Greek Revival details, was built by subscription, with pews sold to help pay off construction debts. Originally a chapel, the circa 1835 Parish House has similar Greek Revival details; it was donated to the church in 1863 and is still used by both church and community groups.

Also in Milford, Eagle Hall has been the site of early government, spiritual, social and commercial history since it was built as a meetinghouse and town hall in the late 18th century. Originally one story, in 1846 it was raised and a basement and first floor were constructed. The basement was used to store the town fire engine – the space also served as the town jail until 1869 – and the new first floor was the post office.

Listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, the 1798 New Hampton Town House has changed little since it was remodeled in 1872. The building was used for both religious services and town meetings through 1842 when the New Hampton Congregational Church began worshiping in Bristol. The building continues to be the site of municipal functions; every town meeting and election in New Hampton since March 1799 has been held there.

Dating to circa 1765, the Captain Smith Emerson Farm’s Georgian architecture is consistent with that period in Lee’s history. Emerson served in the New Hampshire militia during the Revolutionary War and was stationed at Fort Sullivan on Seavey’s Island at the mouth of the Piscataqua Harbor – now called “Portsmouth Harbor” – to defend Portsmouth from British Naval attack. Upon returning to Lee, he held several town offices and is buried in the Emerson/Buzzell cemetery on the property.

Goodell Company Mill in Antrim includes five adjoining brick structures built between 1867 and about 1895, plus a separate sixth building constructed circa 1900. David Goodell began working at the site in the mid-19th century when it was a shovel manufacturer; in 1864 he started a company on site that produced cutlery, beginning with mechanized apple parers. Goodell rebuilt the structure after it was destroyed by fire in 1867. The complex is under consideration to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Anyone wishing to nominate a property to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places must research the history of the nominated property and document it on an individual inventory form from the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. Having a property listed in the Register does not impose restrictions on property owners. For more information, visit nhdhr.dncr.nh.gov.

New Hampshire's Division of Historical Resources, the State Historic Preservation Office, was established in 1974 and is part of the NH Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. NHDHR’s mission is to preserve and celebrate New Hampshire’s irreplaceable historic resources through programs and services that provide education, stewardship, and protection. For more information, visit us online at nhdhr.dncr.nh.gov or by calling 603-271-3483.

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